All Blog Posts (112)

May 2013

The U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological…

• What is your valuation and how did you come up with that number as it seems too high?

• What kind of market traction does your company have?

• Is your business model scalable?

• What is your break-even point? How many customers will it take for you to reach that number?

• What is your competitive advantage?

• What is your exit strategy?

• Are there companies in your industry…

We've just returned from a meeting in Cincinnati (the annual Gait and Clinical Motion Analysis Society conference) and been amazed at the interest from both universities and clinical users - people are spending money again.  Our business normally lags the economy for anything up to a year - this is pretty consistent so it's very encouraging to see this.

Trust in a mentor/mentee relationship plays a key role in the success of the mentorship experience, and can also have an impact on the long term success of the business. According to Anthony Hughes, director of JumpStart’s mentoring program, “until you have a relationship that is rooted in trust, you cannot have an open and honest discussion about the challenges that face the business.” But how can a mentor build trust with an entrepreneur he/she is mentoring? Here are eight ways to do just…

MidSouth Bank is Taking Care of Business - loans up to $50,000 @5.786% APR. No financials needed.  Message me for details. 

People often use the terms management and leadership interchangeably. This is especially true for start-up businesses, where the founder must be leader, manager, office administrator and head of operations all at once. But when it comes to leadership, small businesses can incorporate a variety of styles or methods. These approaches can produce very different outcomes—and can mean the difference between unproductive employees with a high attrition rate and happy employees that want to grow…

BatonRougeNightOut.com, a website that started Jan. 1, 2013, is a website that will be including everything that goes on in the Baton Rouge Area, including events, drink specials, and local bands. We also are starting BatonRougeNightOut.com Radio Stations that will include everything from Top 40 to local bands of all genres. Right now I am a one man show and posting looking for trying to either partner or provide a service for other Baton Rouge Entrepreneurs. Other services are providing a…

Job Growth in 2012 - Largest Metro Areas:

Drivers of growth are 3 sectors: energy, tech & manufacturing. Texas dominates our list (200,000 oil jobs added since '02. In first place: Austin, 2nd: Houston, 4th: Fort Worth, 6th: Dallas, 13th: New Orleans

One of the most significant decisions an entrepreneur must face is how to fund their startup. With a number of options available, it is important to know the benefits of each in order to determine the best approach, because what may be good for one business may not work at all for another.

Bootstrapping

Many entrepreneurs start by being completely self-sufficient, essentially pulling their business up by the bootstraps and using existing resources to fund it.…

The term “pivot” became part of the entrepreneur’s vernacular after being introduced in Eric Ries’ best-selling book The Lean Startup. Used to describe how startups change the direction of their business in order to survive, this term is most often heard when describing tech companies. But the reality is that most successful small businesses, regardless of industry, don’t end up running the exact business they started. Somewhere along the way, they’ve had to pivot.

It’s not…

Louisiana Agriculture Magazine has just released an issue on the LSU AgCenter Office of Intellectual Property for its 25th anniversary. It features several articles on companies from Louisiana and elsewhere using university technologies to improve or start their businesses. It also contains information on some exciting research still available for new commercial partners. We look forward to working with the entrepreneurial community and others to help commercialize the next generation of…

Tis the season for New Year’s resolutions! Of course, we all make resolutions with the good intention of keeping them. But let’s be honest: Resolutions, whether personal or business-related, seem like they are made to be broken. The majority of us who make resolutions this year will have given up on most of them by February. However, according to a study by Proactive Change®, “people who explicitly make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don’t…

Being asked to serve on a board is a big responsibility, and so prospective board members should understand the opportunity before making a commitment. For starters, you should do your research on the company and its founders to make sure you are interested in, passionate about, and able to add value to the business. From there, if you are still intrigued, speak with current board members, the CEO or members of the management team. Boards can make a big impact on the ultimate success or…

Lost In Thought Apparel clothing brand is a clothing line dedicated to the creative mind. Bringing visuals to those always lost in thought. Featuring custom designs and quality clothing, L.I.T. is dedicated to

bringing the world of art to all those who seek it.

for any design inquiries please feel free to contact us!

Design.Consulting.Apparel.

info@lostinthoughtap.com…

If our start-up is anything like our marriage, I am certain this Forbes article is dead on.  After fourteen years of marriage and three chidlren I have learned that my wife keeps the whole thing running smoothly.  Let's hope that the theory holds true with our start-up . . . Read the article and see what you think. 

 …

1. Email Marketing

Email may be the most common form of online communication, but it should be one of the first places you go to get the word out about your new crowdfunding endeavor. An engaging subject line with a short…

The perspective of starting and operating a small business helps our firm better relate and represent other businesses. Here is an article from the Baton Rouge Business Report spotlighting David Ogwyn as an attorney and small business owner. http://ning.it/NJe5Jp

Real entrepreneurs discover what they're passionate about and find and doggedly work to achieve their goal, even in the face of numerous naysayers.  

Well my passion is encouraging every child to achieve their potential.  Dropping out of school in the 9th, 10th or 11th grade is almost always a road block to their achieving that potential.  So I'm working with CHOICES.org and local Rotarians to…

Go to http://www.forbes.com/sites/danschawbel/2012/06/11/shark-tank-roundtable-their-top-3-pieces-of-advice/

to find out.

Makes good sense for Sense.